Sen. Al Franken is among 16 senators calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to end the ban on blood donations by gay men. In a letter to FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg on Thursday, the senators called the policy “medically and scientifically unsound” and called out the double standard placed on gay men who want to be donors.

A Catholic school in Colorado is kicking out a preschooler because the child’s parents are lesbians.

The child will not be allowed to re-enroll next year at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School. The Denver Archdiocese posted a statement Friday that the parents are “living in open discord with Catholic teaching.”

About a decade ago, while living in Central America, I met and began dating a Salvadoran man named Uvaldo. Over time, we fell in love, met each other’s families, and eventually talked about creating a life together. We discussed marriage and adopting children – almost always in the hypothetical. We wanted to be together, but I knew that living together as a biracial same-sex couple in El Salvador would be dangerous and difficult. Uvaldo knew how important it was for me to return to the U.S. to finish my studies and pursue a career as a lawyer. He was willing to come with me if it meant that we could be together.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II has asked the state’s public colleges and universities to rescind policies that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, arguing in a letter sent to each school Thursday that their boards of visitors have no legal authority to adopt such statements.

Today the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) announced the resolution of the custody dispute between Kim Smith and Maggie Quale in Santa Cruz, California.

While in a committed relationship, Smith and Quale had twins together using donated sperm. The dispute arose when the couple separated and Quale, who had given birth to the twins, challenged Smith’s parental rights. Under the settlement, both women are recognized as legal parents of their twins.

“Kim and Maggie are working hard to rebuild trust and are returning their focus to the care of their children,” said Deborah Wald, one of the attorneys, along with NCLR, who represented Smith. “The parties’ attorneys request the community’s support in respecting the privacy of Kim, Maggie and their families during this time.”